When troubleshooting computer problems, enterprise workers have long turned to their office mates for help before taking the time to file a formal request for support from the help desk. But the rise of social media, employee mobility, cloud computing and the consumerization of IT have amplified that trend, leading research firm Gartner to predict the "possible end to the traditional help desk."

"Users are crowdsourcing," said Jarod Greene, an analyst at Gartner, which last summer included the potential demise of the help desk in a list of 10 predictions for the IT industry. The firm said people will bypass the help desk and seek answers from co-workers and friends via social media, or they will search for answers themselves on the Web.

"We call it 'Hey, Joe!' support," Greene said. "It's not about opening a help ticket or closing the ticket. It's 'I just need to know how to use this better.' That 'log it and flog it, detect and fix' [help desk] model is dying."